Senate Republicans are denouncing Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter's decision to sign two bills this week that narrow Coloradans' right to hold concealed-weapons permits. House Bill 1174, which was signed by the governor on Monday, and Senate Bill 34, signed today, were passed during the '07 legislative session over the fierce opposition of minority Republicans.
"Not only did our new governor essentially endorse a couple of solutions to problems that don't exist, but he also took a major swipe at our Second Amendment rights in the process," said the GOP's Sen. Dave Schultheis, of Colorado Springs.
Schultheis, who helped lead the fight against the two bills on the Senate floor, said the measures are pointless assaults on individual rights because there hasn't been one problem with concealed-weapons permit holders in Colorado that warrant either bill.
HB 1174 lets the state perpetuate a database of concealed-weapons permit holders that was supposed to be phased out this year. The database has raised concerns among permit holders who say it is ripe for abuse, and its records can be released to the public, posing the threat of theft or other risks to gun owners.
The bill's critics also say the existence of a database treats permit holders like criminal suspects even though they are among society's most responsible and law-abiding members, having passed thorough criminal background checks and taken gun-safety courses in order to obtain permits.
SB 34 restricts Colorado’s recognition of valid out-of-state concealed-carry firearms permits, barring Coloradans from using permits they had obtained while in other states. Critics charge there has never been a problem involving out-of-state concealed-weapons permits. They also say Coloradans who have moved here from other states shouldn't be expected to go through the whole permitting process all over again, especially if they are in immediate need of the protection that the permits afford.
Both bills have left a cloud over the Ritter administration in the eyes of gun owners who say they now feel betrayed after previous assurances that Ritter had no designs on their rights.
Some influential right-to-arms advocates, however, said they weren't surprised by this week's bill signings.
"Gov. Ritter has always been a proponent of gun control. This just proves it," said Dudley Brown of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. "We can expect more of it."
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Republican Senator Dave Schultheis, right, challenges Democrat Sen. John Morse over concealed-weapons permits. |
